How To Clean Install Windows 7 Reddit

   Information

The most tedious office of calculating is waiting operating system to exist installed. Installing Windows x can have anything from ten to over 30 minutes (depending on hardware). The depression terminate i5 laptop I am using to write this tutorial with an HDD instead of SSD takes on average of 35 minutes from booting with install USB flash drive to OOBE to start with region option dialog after last restart required by setup, boosted iii to four minutes to get initial user created and expect Windows preparing user profile and getting to desktop.

Of class on state of the art hardware, peculiarly using SSD instead of HDD the fourth dimension needed to install is only about a tertiary of what I need with this hardware.

Whatever hardware y'all have, applying Windows install image with DISM (Deployment Prototype Servicing and Direction tool) instead of traditional make clean install will significantly reduce the fourth dimension needed to install Windows. Especially when installing using a customized and personalized Windows image with pre-installed software (see tutorial) you tin can reduce the fourth dimension by upwards to over 50% but even when using a standard Windows install media you get Windows installed at least over 20% faster.

Yous tin can utilize any valid Windows 10 install media, exist it made from a self made ISO from Windows Insider or Feature Upgrade (tutorial), a WIM based original ISO Microsoft has bachelor for Windows Insiders (download link in tutorial), or an ESD based ISO fabricated with Media Creation Tool (download link in tutorial).

This tutorial although written for Windows 10 also applies to Windows vii, viii & 8.1.

Contents

Click links to spring to any part

Part Ane

Boot & Sectionalization

1.1) Boot PC from Windows install media (DVD or USB flash drive), go on every bit in normal make clean install until y'all go to disk options screen. Skip the product key when asked:

1.ii) If disk is unallocated, click New:

(If hd is already partitioned as you wish, jump to pace i.5. If you want to wipe an already partitioned disk select existing partitions ane past one, select Delete, and when done continue from 1.three.)

1.three) Set the preferred size of Windows partition (#1 in screenshot) and click Apply (#2). If you lot desire to use whole disk for a unmarried Windows partition just accept default value and click Apply:

ane.iv) Click OK:

1.five) On BIOS based automobile with MBR disk setup will now create the required System Reserved partition (500 MB) using the rest of allocated space for Windows partition.

On UEFI based auto with GPT disk the Recovery segmentation (450 MB), EFI System partition (99 MB) and Microsoft Reserved partition (MSR, 16 MB) volition be created, rest of the allocated space being used for Windows division.

i.6) Select the partition where Windows will be installed (Primary sectionalization) and click Format.

BIOS / MBR:

UEFI / GPT:

i.7) If you did not allocate whole disk for Windows partition, you can go out remainder of the deejay now unallocated. When Windows has been installed you can use Deejay Direction to division remaining space equally yous wish.

   Tip

If you want to allocate a specific corporeality of infinite for Windows sectionalization, add together 500 MB on BIOS / MBR systems and 565 MB on UEFI / GPT systems.

Example (MBR):

You lot desire to have a 150 GB Windows division on a BIOS / MBR system, you should classify 154,100 MB
(150 * 1024 MB = 153,600 MB = 150 GB plus 500 MB for System reserved partition)

Example (GPT):

You desire to have a 250 GB Windows partition on a UEFI / GPT organisation, you should allocate 256,565 MB
(250 * 1024 MB = 256,000 MB = 250 GB plus 450 MB Recovery, 99 MB EFI and 16 MB MSR partitions)

1.8) Setup does not show any message when formatting is done. Just indicator of progress is mouse pointer; when formatting, pointer volition exist an hourglass icon. When ready normal pointer arrow will be shown. Formatting even large hard disks only takes a few seconds.

1.9) When Windows partition has been formatted shut Deejay Options dialog. This takes you dorsum to Windows Setup screen:

   Note

Avant-garde users can of grade use DISKPART to partition HDD / SSD instead of steps told higher up.

Part 2

Apply Windows image

2.1) Back on Windows Setup screen, press SHIFT + F10 to open up Command Prompt:

two.ii) Type diskpart and press Enter to first Deejay Segmentation Utility (come across #1 in screenshot in step 2.v)

2.iii) Blazon list vol and printing Enter to see listing of volumes / partitions (#2). Notation the temporarily assigned drive letters for your newly formatted Windows partition and install media (#iii). You recognize Windows sectionalization from its size and install media past its type, Removable if using USB flash bulldoze or DVD-ROM if using a DVD install media

2.four) Blazon go out and printing Enter to quit Disk Division Utility (#four)

2.5) Enter post-obit command to check right index for your preferred Windows 10 edition replacing highlighted bulldoze ID alphabetic character with your actual install media ID (#5). Notation the index# for edition yous desire to install (#six):

WIM based install media (Insider or self fabricated ISO):

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:D:\Sources\install.wim

ESD based install media (ISO made using Media Creation Tool):

dism /Go-WimInfo /WimFile:D:\Sources\install.esd

2.six) In this case case now the temporary bulldoze ID for partitioning where I want Windows to be installed is G:, Windows install media (USB drive) is D:, and every bit I desire to install Windows x PRO the index# is 1. That'due south all information I demand to apply Windows image (install.wim or install.esd file from Sources folder on install media).

2.7) Enter following command, replacing drive ID letters and Windows edition index# with your actual ones (#i in screenshot in step 2.9):

dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:D:\Sources\install.wim /index:1 /ApplyDir:Yard:\

ImageFile = Path to install.wim file on install media (install.esd file on media created with Media Creation Tool)

ApplyDir = temporary drive ID for sectionalization where Windows will exist installed followed by :\

ii.eight) DISM volition at present apply Windows image to selected partition (M: in this example). This partition will become the correct bulldoze ID C: when image has been applied and Windows restarted. When DISM is ready you can cheque that Windows organization folders have been created with DIR 1000: command (#2)

2.9) Just one thing missing: we demand to create kicking records with BCDBOOT command. We can find it on newly created Windows partition, in Windows\System32 folder. Enter following command to write kick records to make hard disk bootable (#iii):

Thousand:\Windows\System32\bcdboot Thousand:\Windows

three.1) Close Command Prompt, shut Windows Setup:

3.two) Setup thinks now you want to cancel installation, not knowing that Windows has already been installed . Just click Yes to let PC restart:

three.iii) Windows will now restart booting from hd entering the concluding phase of setup, Windows Welcome (OOBE) Manner. Select your region, add initial user contour and you are done

That'southward it!

Kari